Intraindividual comparison of 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M gadopentetate dimeglumine for time-resolved contrast-enhanced three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography of the upper torso

Purpose To compare the signal characteristics and bolus dynamics of 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M Gd‐DTPA for time‐resolved, three‐dimensional, contrast‐enhanced (CE) MRA of the upper torso. Materials and Methods Ten healthy volunteers were examined with time‐resolved three‐dimensional CE‐MRA (scan time per three‐dimensional data set: 0.86 second; voxel size: 3.6 × 2 × 6.3 mm3). Each volunteer underwent eight individual examinations after intravenous injection of 0.05 and 0.1 mmol/kg body weight (b.w.) of 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M Gd‐DTPA using two injection rates (2.5 and 5 mL/second). The data analysis included quantitative measurements of the peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and bolus dispersion (full width at half maximum (FWHM)) in the pulmonary artery, left atrium, and thoracic and abdominal aortas. Results No significant differences in the peak SNR and bolus dispersion were observed between gadobutrol and Gd‐DTPA for all dose levels and injection rates in any of the vascular segments. For both contrast agents a dose of 0.1 mmol/kg b.w. injected with 5 mL/second achieved the highest SNR in all vascular segments. Conclusion For the imaging parameters used in this study, higher‐concentrated gadolinium chelates offer no relevant advantages for time‐resolved three‐dimensional CE‐MRA of the upper torso. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;22:286–290. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.